Underframe for passenger-cars.



PATENTED OCT. 11,1904.

C. S. GAWTHROP. UNDERFRAME FUR PASSENGER CARS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 11, 1904. I

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UNITED STATES Patented October 11, 1904,

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES S. GAIVTHROP, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAR & FOUNDRY COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

UNDERFRAME FOR PASSENGER-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,141, dated October 11, 1904.

- Application filed June 11, 1904:. Serial No. 212,165. (No model.)

a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilmington, county of Newcastle, Delaware, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Underframes for Passenger-Cars, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enableothe'rs skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of my improved underframe. 'Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same. tional view on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. i is a sectional. view on line 4 4:, Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the bolster elements.

This invention relates to a new and usefulimprovement in underframes for passengercars, the object being to construct an underframe in such a manner as to take advantage of a cantaliver-support for the longitudinal sills at the ends of the car, whereby said longitudinal sills, which are preferably of wood, and their connected members will not be affected by contraction or expansion of the metallic members.

Heretofore it has been proposed to construct passenger-cars with a steel underframing, the longitudinal angles or channels thereof extending from end to end of the car. In a car seventy feet long the unequal expansion of steel and wood under the ordinary range of temperatures is about from one-half to one inchthat is to say, the steel framing will expand under an ordinary high temperature one inch more than the wood, with the result that the interior'wooden finish is damaged by reason of the joints opening.

It is the object of my present invention to avoid the objections resulting from this unequal expansion and still retain the benefits of a steel substructure, with the further advantage of the cantaliver construction at the ends of the car, the steel substructure being free Fig. 3 is a sec-- to expand from the bolster-support inwardly without affecting the wooden longitudinals and their connected parts.

With the above object in view my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts, all as will hereinafter be described and afterward pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings is shown a steel underframe designed for use under one end of a passenger-car; but it is obvious that in the actual construction of cars there will be two of these underframes, one for each end of the car.

1 indicates what I will term the central members, and 2 the side members,said members being practically complementary to the center and side longitudinals of the wooden frame of the car. These members 1 and 2 are preferably made of vertically-disposed plates, deepest at the bolster-point and tapering thence toward the end and center of the car. Along the upper edges of these plates are angles 3, while the lower-edges are provided with angles 4, following the'contour of the lower edges of the plates. It is obvious that by this construction each longitudinal member of the end underframing constitutes in itself a plate-girder structure in which the top angle 3 is the tension-flange and the bottom angle 4 the compression-flange. It is also obvious that instead of having separate angles the longitudinal members can be made of pressed steel inwhich the tension and compression flanges will be integral with the vertical webs of the plate-girders. It will furthermorebe obvious that the bolster-support being located between the ends ofthese longitudinals will insure a cantaliver construction.

5 indicates angles or flanges secured to the vertical webs of the longitudinals for supporting the wooden longitudinals 6 of the car. These flanges or angles 5 are preferably arranged so as to project in an opposite direction from the flanges 3 and 4, and in this way in addition to serving as a supporting-shelf for the wooden longitudinals the angles or flanges 5 also serve as lateral stiffeners for the vertical webs of the longitudinal members of the underframe and materially add to their rigidity, said flanges or angles 5 resisting the buffing and pulling stresses as well as the tendency of the vertical webs to buckle under strain.

7 indicates the end sill of the car, which is preferably in the form of a channel with its flanges presented outwardly, the flanges of said channel being riveted to top and bottom cover-plates 8 and 9, respectively, which cover-plates are in turn riveted to the ends of the angles or flanges 3 and 1. If desired, diagonals 10 may be riveted to the top coverplate 8 and to one of the top bolster coverplates.

11 indicates the bolster-webs, which are preferably in the form of vertically-disposed plates interrupted for the passage of the central members 1. I do not wish, however, to be understood as being limited to the use of an interrupted bolster, as it is well known that a bolster having a continuous web could be employed, in which event the central members 1 would be interrupted. These bolsterwebs, as shown in Fig. 3, are reinforced at the upper and lower edges by angles 12 and 13. Suitable connection-plates may be employed for rigidly attaching the bolster-webs to the center and side members of the underframe in a well-known manner, as is obvious. Filler-blocks 14 may also be employed between the central members, and in addition top and bottom cover-plates 15 and 16 may also be used for well-understood purposes.

17 indicates bridge-pieces extending across the ends of the bolsters at their under side for y the purpose of affording or supporting the side bearing.

18 indicates a plate through which the kingbolt passes, and this plate is duplicated, preferably, on the under side of the central members; but instead of plates it is obvious that malleable castings forming filler-blocks can be employed. I have not shown the center plate of the car, but will say that said center plate is wide enough to take in both center members.

19 indicates the platform members, which are preferably arranged under the end-sill cover-plate 9 andare supported in position by a truss-shaped carrying-plate 20. So far as the platform is concerned it may be of any approved construction.

21 indicates a needle-beam, which is preferably in the form of a bulb-angle extending from side to side of the car, said angle carrying the queen or king post 22. The ends of the longitudinals land 2 rest upon the needlebeam and preferably terminate at said needlebeam, although they may project inwardly beyond the needle-beam, if desired.

23 indicates the truss-rods, one of said trussrods being preferably arranged under each longitudinal member of my underframe, said truss-rods being secured to the lower (or upper) cover-plate of the'bolster, as desired, and

ster, where they are secured by bolts or other' fastening means to the vertical webs of the longitudinal members of the underframe. If desired, other fastening means may be employed for securing the wooden longitudinals to the inner ends of the longitudinal members of the underframe; but in the event such fastening is used it may be necessary to elongate the'openings in either the wooden or metallic longitudinals to permit of independent expansion of the parts. From the bolster outwardly separate wooden longitudinals are secured in position by suitable bolts to the metallic longitudinal members; but as this distance is shortusually about ten feet the difference in expansion between these members is inappreciable. The distance between the king-pins being about fifty feet, it will readily beseen that if the wooden longitudi-- nals are secured only at their ends to the underframing the portions of the metallic underframing extending beyond the point of attachment of the wooden longitudinals are free to independently expand and contract without in any way afiecting or disturbing the connection between the wooden longitudinals and the underframing at points approximately in the transverse plane of the bolsters.

I am aware that many minor changes in the arrangement, construction, and combination of the several parts of my underframing may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without in the least departing from the nature and principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a car, the combination with wooden longitudinals, of metallic underframes arranged under each end of the car, said underframes being free to independently expand and contract between the bolsters; substantially as described.

2. In a car, the combination with wooden longitudinals, of metallic underframes under each end of the car and connected to said wooden longitudinals only at points approximately in the transverse planes of the bolsters; substantially as described.

3. In a car, the combination with wooden longitudinals, of metallic cantaliver-underframes under each end of the car; substantially as described.

4. In a car, the combination with wooden longitudinals, of a cantaliver-underframe, a

approximately in the transverse plane of the bolster, forming a cantaliver construction; substantially as described.

7. In a car, the combination of a bolster, plate-girder longitudinal, members having top and bottom flanges and forming a cantaliver construction, and supporting means carried by said longitudinal members for cooperating with the Wooden longitudinal members of the car; substantially as described.

8. The combination of an end sill and a bolster, longitudinal members connected to said parts and provided with top and bottom flanges, a needle-beam under the inner ends of said longitudinal members, and a supportingangle secured to said longitudinal members along their intermediate portions, said angle being flush With the top of said needle-beam; substantially as described.

9. In a car, the combination with Wooden longitudinals, of an underframe arranged under the end of said car and carrying platform members at its outer end, a needle-beam for supporting the inner ends of the longitudinal members of said underframe, said longitudinal members being deepest in the transverse plane of the bolster, a bolster, top and bottom cover-plates for said bolster, truss-rods, and angles secured to the longitudinal members of the underframe for supporting the Wooden longitudinals of the car; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto arfix my signature, in the presence of tWo Witnesses, this 7th day of June, 1904.

CHARLES S. GAVVTHROP.

Witnesses:

CHARLES H. Soorr, B. G. STRIGKLAND. 

